£800+ for Take That tickets

FANS of Take That have been left furious after missing out on tickets for their sell-out shows in Manchester – only for them to go on sale at ten times their value on internet auction sites. Within an hour of tickets for the dates in December going on sale at 9am yesterday, dozens of the £45 tickets were on sale on eBay and other auction sites for more than £800 a pair.

FANS of Take That have been left furious after missing out on tickets for their sell-out shows in Manchester – only for them to go on sale at ten times their value on internet auction sites.

Within an hour of tickets for the dates in December going on sale at 9am yesterday, dozens of the £45 tickets were on sale on eBay and other auction sites for more than £800 a pair. Manager of the band, Jonathan Wild, has now urged fans not to buy tickets from internet sites.

Demand for tickets was so great that hundreds of fans camped out at the M.E.N. Arena box office for up to two days and official ticket internet and phone lines were jammed and crashed – leaving thousands of disappointed fans facing paying sky high prices on internet sites.

Fans have accused the ‘internet touts’ of ‘extortion’ and have called on eBay to ban the profiteers. Tickets for the original eight shows in December sold out within two hours, so concert organisers added another three dates. But those too sold out at 11am yesterday – smashing box office records.

Support

Mr Wild said: “It is beyond our control. It’s something that the band are keen to address, but there is little we can do. I can only suggest that people do not buy tickets off eBay. “Take That have always been renowned for their live shows and the public support and loyalty from fans is tremendous and has encouraged the band to carry on. To those lucky enough to secure tickets, on behalf of the band, I’d like to thank them for their unbelievable support.”

The first fans carrying sleeping bags, chairs and mattresses, arrived at the Arena box office on Wednesday morning – 48 hours before tickets went on sale. When they quickly sold out, three more dates were added – making an unprecedented 11 consecutive nights at the Arena for one artist or band.

Within a few hours of tickets going on sale dozens of pairs tickets for the Manchester shows were being offered for sale for more than £800 – almost ten times their face value. Sara Foster, from Farnworth, tried unsuccessfully to get tickets for her 14-year-old daughter Kendal and a friend.

She said: “I logged on the internet before 9am and also had the telephone on constant dial. The telephone message said I could not get through because of the volume of calls and on the internet I got through a certain way, then it crashed.

“I cannot believe the prices being charged on eBay, I think eBay should ban it. These are people making a business out of selling tickets at the expense of genuine fans, its extortion.” Kellie Lacey, 30, from Rochdale, also tried both phone and internet to obtain tickets without success.

She said: “It’s disgusting. I checked eBay at 10 o’clock and there were five pages worth of tickets for sale, it’s completely wrong. Ebay should not allow it, they should kick these people off. Genuine fans cannot go to the concerts unless they are prepared to pay over the odds.”

A spokesman for eBay said: “We operate within the law, and we cannot stop people selling what they want to sell as long as it’s legal. Once tickets have been purchased by someone they are their property to do with as they will.”

Touts

Take That concert promoter, Simon Moran, of Manchester-based SJM Concerts, said that tickets were restricted to six per person to try to stop touts, but still allow families to go together.

“Tickets were on sale at £45 and £25. The band could have charged more, but wanted to give people who perhaps haven’t got a lot of money the chance to see them, so it’s a shame when people profiteer on the back of it.”

John Knight, Arena general manager, said the demand for tickets was a record for the Arena. “Take That have broken their own record which was 10 consecutive nights during their first tour in 1995. The Arena is Europe’s biggest indoor entertainment venue and to sell this many tickets in any timescale, let alone within four hours, is incredible. The interest in Take That is phenomenal.”

The demand for tickets also caused problems for telephone companies. Directory assistance service 118 118 said it was engulfed by 25,000 callers before 11am ringing to find out who to call for tickets. It said it received the largest number of directory calls ever taken for any entertainment event.

The previous record was held by the launch of the new production of The Sound Of Music, which triggered 15,000 calls, but over days, not hours.

Communications director William Ostrom said: “There is no denying Take That are as popular as they were in their heyday.

“The telephone frenzy created by the release of their latest concert tickets stands out as one of our busiest mornings since our launch.”

Is it right for tickets to turn up on ebay? Did you struggle to get hold of a ticket? Let us know below.